I honestly think the Starchild would have been less infuriating for me if he wasn't... well, a child. It made me wanna backhand him just because he was a kid being all condescending and patronizing to me. D:

I honestly think the Starchild would have been less infuriating for me if he wasn't... well, a child. It made me wanna backhand him just because he was a kid being all condescending and patronizing to me. D:

agree, I think it would have made more sense to be an entity rather than a humanoid.

I honestly think the Starchild would have been less infuriating for me if he wasn't... well, a child. It made me wanna backhand him just because he was a kid being all condescending and patronizing to me. D:

Starchild and the nightmare scenes you have to do are the only things I sincerely dislike about ME3. I know Shepard is human, but it bothers me that the "super badass renegade" you spend two games building who "takes no sh*t" is plagued by the memory of ONE dead child. It's not even like it was gruesome, he didn't see the child's corpse. It's a shame and I don't like it. (The scenes themselves are an absolute bore to go through)

Starchild and the nightmare scenes you have to do are the only things I sincerely dislike about ME3. I know Shepard is human, but it bothers me that the "super badass renegade" you spend two games building who "takes no sh*t" is plagued by the memory of ONE dead child. It's not even like it was gruesome, he didn't see the child's corpse. It's a shame and I don't like it. (The scenes themselves are an absolute bore to go through)

I didn't mind the nightmare scenes, probably because my Shep was a paragon and she'd have been more likely to get hung up on not being able to save a child, but dear god I wish they were skippable now that I'm on my 7th or 8th playthrough. lol

I didn't mind the nightmare scenes, probably because my Shep was a paragon and she'd have been more likely to get hung up on not being able to save a child, but dear god I wish they were skippable now that I'm on my 7th or 8th playthrough. lol

"It had robots so they hinted at synthesis!"
No fucking no.
Synthesis was never meant to happen, dark energy ending was meant to happen where you had to choose between sacrifising the humanity to utilize the reapers, or killing the reapers and (try to) deal with it on your own but they turned around in ME3.
Stop pulling for straws obnoxiously for something wrong.

did I say because of robots? That is equally as stupid as saying Dark energy because of a leak on the internet. The fact still remains that besides the reapers there were 3 main stories playing out in the Mass Effect Games. The Krogan, The geth and Quarians, and Cerberus. All came to a close in Mass Effect 3 and all were related to the endings.

The Destroy ending is reflected in the Krogan story. A Culture being nearly wiped up and changed drastically because of someone else and them fighting for survival and coming back from the brink to rediscover themselves. Something everyone will have to do in the Red Ending.

The Blue ending is reflected in Cerberus drive to create the ultimate super soldiers and eliminate everything else but the leaders will. Even in ME1 we saw Cerberus trying to attain this goal through the study of husks and how to adapt it to something they could use. It ultimately comes to a head with TIM attempting just that. But of course we learn it was doomed to fail because he was indoctrinated. Still a sound theory. Cerberus also touches upon synthesis in creating hybrid lifeforms in its soldiers.

Then we have the Quarian versus Geth conflict. It is more central to the over all conflict of the reapers but it also shows the troubles both sides have with coexisting together. All through out Mass Effect we are told AI's are bad but are also introduced to a good AI that isn't trying to kill us through EDI. The resolution of the Geth Quarian conflict shows us that peaceful coexistence is possible and that the Quarians have already done what is done in the synthesis ending. They find that allowing geth to combine with them (through their suits) they are going to be able to remove their suits in years rather then centuries. We also have EDI and Liara thinking about the exact thing that happens in the green ending.

You can call me wrong all you want but the thing remains that everything I say is reflected in the game. Where as everything you are saying is only reflected in a leak from an ex-bioware employee.

---------- Post added 2012-11-17 at 04:47 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Muzual

Starchild and the nightmare scenes you have to do are the only things I sincerely dislike about ME3. I know Shepard is human, but it bothers me that the "super badass renegade" you spend two games building who "takes no sh*t" is plagued by the memory of ONE dead child. It's not even like it was gruesome, he didn't see the child's corpse. It's a shame and I don't like it. (The scenes themselves are an absolute bore to go through)

How else do you want them to reflect the psychological effect the invasion is having on Shepard? Even for the most bad ass Shepard it still is a powerful event that he wasn't able to stop. The dreams if you listen to the voices and stuff are all about Shepard questioning his decisions and himself. It could be the Reapers trying to indoctrinate him, it could be TIM trying to control him through something he did when Shepard was rebuilt. It could just be Shepard starting to feel the pressure of his job.

Or it could just be a silly nightmare that has no real meaning. As for star child remember he still is trying to continue the cycle. He can't just refuse because he is still a program and the Crucible has forced him into 4 new paths that must happen. Destroy, Control, Synthesis, or Failure. Perhaps the Catalyst was able to read Shepards mind and took the form of something that has been bothering him in order to try to break him so the Failure option happens.

Or maybe the Catalyst was the Child all along and was never real back on earth. But a projection or hologram of some sort used as a psychological weapon against Shepard because of important he was to stopping the Reapers in the previous two games. There are plenty of things not explained but things don't have to always be explained in order for them to be something other then bad.

Last edited by rhorle; 2012-11-17 at 09:52 PM.

"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."

It has a mention in the game, but so does plenty of other things. It's importance as an ending is only because of a leak that happened prior to the launch of the game. It was never a major theme of 1-3. It might be the major theme in 4 though. Or a future DLC.

"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."

Anywho, the whole "dark energy" package is way more plausible than "we kill you so you don't kill yourself"

How so? The only reason why our technology is using Dark Energy is because of the Reapers guiding us towards that. So we kill you so you don't kill yourself is less acceptable then "We kill you because you are using what we wanted you to use"?

" According to Karpyshyn, "The Reapers as a whole were 'nations' of people who had fused together in the most horrific way possible to help find a way to stop the spread of the Dark Energy. The real reason for the Human Reaper was supposed to be the Reapers saving throw because they had run out of time. Humanity in Mass Effect is supposedly unique because of its genetic diversity and represented the universe's best chance at stopping Dark Energy's spread."http://www.strategyinformer.com/news/17086/mass-effect-writer-drew-karpyshyn-reveals-original-mass-effect-3-endings

So they came in peace to help us stop the spread of Dark Energy, but decided to kill us in order to help us? If they ran out of time in ME2 why didn't the universe end before ME3? Why is humanities genetics the only thing capable of stopping the threat of dark energy? Why would the reapers kill what has the best chance of solving the problem?The Dark energy ending wasn't perfect nor better. It is only better because it is something you didn't get to have and don't like the current endings.

If you were an employee that just got fired or lay off how would you get your revenge on a company? I'd leak to the press an ending completely different so rabid fans would go crazy over it then get disappointed when it turned out to not be what they were getting.

Last edited by rhorle; 2012-11-17 at 10:22 PM.

"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."

1. They have a Dark Energy problem that is killing the galaxy.
2. They couldn't find solution themselves.
3. They sacrificed themselves into a reaper (Harbinger). The whole race into one reaper (We are each a nation).
4. The collective mind couldn't solve the problem either.
5. So they devised the plan.

The plan:
As the galaxy is going down no matter who lives in it - they decided to make use of "diversity or life" assuming that maybe some new species will be able to find or at least get a clue to the problem.
They spread Relays (building new and rearranging the existing ones) in such a pattern that they are to be found by new races and thus make them to use this technology and to improve upon it - maybe find The Problem and try to solve it.
Reapers (at first just one) would oversee this for 50000 years (that is deemed enough for existing pre-space species to reach the required tech level). At the end of the timer - they will either get a solution to the problem or will have to start a new.
Thus the cycle of harvesting started.
Harvesting:
If current cycle failed to deliver the solution - Reapers would find the species with the most potential and turn it into a new reaper to add to their collective mind - to their "science lab" to help with "The Problem Project". All other species (space faring species that participated in the cycle) are erased. New species (currently around the cavemen age) are given a chance to evolve and develop in the new cycle.

Reasoning behind the cycles:
1. Can't let new species just use the technology that damages the galaxy.
2. The whole "diversity of life" principle. New species may have better results.
3. Adding the best species of the cycle into the "science lab".

How games fit in:
1. In ME1 we encounter the technology and Reapers - nothing is known yet. But we learn that Reapers wipe out species and every trace of species - so no one will know anything happening - that is in support of their goal - letting species evolve naturally (letting them stay pure) and then in the path chosen for them (Relays - are a test - with Citadel being the finish line. shows that species have cracked the problem tech and ripe for harvest).
2. In ME2 we encounter The Problem at the Haelstrom.
3. In ME2 we see how reapers build the new reaper out of humans - as they deem humans the best species of the cycle.
4. They are so astonished with Humans so they build the Human-looking reaper - against the tradition.
5. In ME3 Bioware takes a Starchild turn. But at least we can see the Harvest in the process.

Now Starchild plan can be surmised like this:
1. You have 50000 to enjoy this pretty galaxy (Arbitrary number - they could've just waited for the Synthetics problem - that is Synthetics wiping out the life in the galaxy - and then intervene).
2. When we kill you and make a reaper out of you (why the fuck do they need this in Starchild scenario? It would lead to infinite number of reapers thus they wouldn't fit into the dark space between galaxies)
3. They erase all the traces of previous species (at least they try really hard - but why? what's up with the secrecy? Unless you want to avoid the spoiling of new species thus failing the "Dark Energy" scenario - but this is not the "dark energy" scenario - they could as well just orbit each habitable planet for 50000 years ticking aloud every second).
4. Mysterious Crucible
5. Starchild
6. Magic.

Starchild and the nightmare scenes you have to do are the only things I sincerely dislike about ME3. I know Shepard is human, but it bothers me that the "super badass renegade" you spend two games building who "takes no sh*t" is plagued by the memory of ONE dead child. It's not even like it was gruesome, he didn't see the child's corpse. It's a shame and I don't like it. (The scenes themselves are an absolute bore to go through)

They are kind of boring but I can see how a child could affect Shepard, since she usually kills adults who have lived their lives and have made mistakes, not innocent children.

---------- Post added 2012-11-18 at 01:02 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Myobi

Why would I become a fucking cyborg after being hit by a green space magical wave?

Because magic.

If a video game developer removed tumors from players, they'd whine about nerfing their loss in weight and access to radiation powers. -Cracked.com

It is odd though that you are fine with a magical wave controlling every reaper in the galaxy or destroy every reaper in the galaxy (with no harmful radiation to anyone else). There are plenty of things that aren't based on reality in Mass Effect 3 but they are possible within the confines of the Mass Effect Universe.

"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."

Harvesting:
If current cycle failed to deliver the solution - Reapers would find the species with the most potential and turn it into a new reaper to add to their collective mind - to their "science lab" to help with "The Problem Project". All other species (space faring species that participated in the cycle) are erased. New species (currently around the cavemen age) are given a chance to evolve and develop in the new cycle.

So how exactly does the "Genetic Diversity" of humans make them the most suitable to finding the end to the problem of Dark Energy? Humans certainly aren't the most advanced species which points to the problem of Dark Energy not being a technological one but of genetics.

Why would the Reapers kill humans in order to reach that goal. Why not approach them peacefully? Wouldn't it have made more sense to assimilate everyone given that the Reapers have no known limit in resources or storage space? Also why erase all traces if your goal is to get someone to solve the problem. Wouldn't you leave behind information that could actually help? Instead of just letting people see nothing until it is time for you to come and destroy them? Remember that the sun at Haelstrom never would have been noticed if the normal Reaper cycle happened. It only appeared due to the delay of the cycle by 3 or so years.

And again how is "killing you because you'd be killed eventually" any better then "killing you so you don't kill yourself"? You keep making the current ending into a joke while failing to see the Dark Ending for what it is. Something filled with just as many if not more holes. It isn't better then the current ones that is for sure. And the Human proto reaper looked the way it did in Mass Effect 2 because it wasn't finished. All Reapers look the same once their outer shell is in place and they are finished. They all look different underneath. http://masseffect.wikia.com/wiki/File:Wcb6ug.png

We know that the Reapers erase all existence of past cycles so no one is prepared to defend against them. This is why we see that even in a failed ending Liara and her drones lead to an ending of the cycle. And why the Prothean ruins lead to the Defeat of sovereign and the reapers (through various VI's, repository information, tech, and the crucible plans). If any universe wide problem existed it is counter productive to cull people every 50,000 years and erase all traces. You would at least plant the seed of the problem you want fixed to focus them on that task.

Also if you look over the actual paste bin of the leak you will find that there were still going to be ending choices like there was now. And the that Omega DLC was part of the leaked script. And Dark Space filling up in one ending but not another? Each ending would presumably have infinite Reapers. Because both endings reasons for the Cycle wouldn't have been solved regardless. As remember the leaked ending didn't have the problem being solved just Shepard sacrificing Humanity or the Reapers.

Both endings employ Space Magic. Both endings would have had the Catalyst. Dark Energy or a wave of energy (that presumably pulls from Dark energy since that is what the relays draw upon as stated with the Alpha Relay). It is still "space magic". The most amusing thing of all is that the current ending would have still fit even with "because of Dark energy".

Last edited by rhorle; 2012-11-18 at 08:25 AM.

"Man is his own star. His acts are his angels, good or ill, While his fatal shadows walk silently beside him."-Rhyme of the Primeval Paradine AFC 54
You know a community is bad when moderators lock a thread because "...this isnt the place to talk about it either seeing as it will get trolled..."

Anywho, the whole "dark energy" package is way more plausible than "we kill you so you don't kill yourself"

You aren't looking at the bigger picture. The reapers don't prevent individual races from going extinct, they prevent organic life as a whole from going extinct. They are a galaxy wide form of a natural extinction event, they remove old organisms and make room for new ones to take their place, in that way they preserve organic life and allow its continued existence.

To declare that a personal, inner experience gives certainty about the workings of the universe is to assign far too much value to one’s subjective sense of conviction.
I’m not that arrogant.
The brain, marvelous instrument though it is, isn’t infallible. It can misfire, seize or hallucinate, and it can do so in a way that’s utterly indistinguishable from reality to the person experiencing it.